Parents' Guide to Making Sense

The first half of this tender indie drama is incredibly slow moving. The good news is that the second half of Making Sense is much better, snappier, exciting, and interesting. It feels like a simple case of poor pacing, poorly sequenced plotting, and some cringe-inducing dialogue. The acting is hit and miss, the timing of the editing isn't always smooth, and there are more than a handful of odd images or scenes that appear without setup or framing. The latter offense is small, as these moments do make sense later, but when they happen, it's a bit confusing and jarring. Also, an '80s soundtrack accompanies the film for seemingly no reason, despite the movie being set in the present.

The tone of the film is soft and melodramatic, but its second part does just about save it, even though it feels like other plot lines would need to be created to stretch out the story beyond a Twilight Zone-esque episode worth of material. The only other curiosity is why the film cast two seemingly nondisabled actors for the two main leads, who take up most of the screen time of the film, but this is a small curiosity given how prominently the film features people with disabilities.